A member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee of Parliament, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has asked the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (PCC), to rephrase their memo that was presented to Parliament on the anti-gay bill that is before the House.
The Minister of Communications noted that aspects of the memo which was presented on behalf of the PCC by Apostle Ofori Kurago, called on parliamentarians to be mindful of the electorate when making contributions to the discussion.
This, according to her, amounts to ‘veiled threat’ which is directed at the lawmakers.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West explained during the first public sitting of the committee to deliberate the memos submittedby the public that, just as with all other bills that eventually get passed by Parliament go through reviews, the anti-gay bill will also be subjected to the same treatment.
It is highly possible that the bill will not be the same after passage, she said.
“You seem to issue a veil threat to the parliamentarians who have to be mindful if the electorate in the work that we are doing and in your assertion that this will be one of the most important pieces of legislation that this house will consider.
“But this process would also result in significant changes to the bill and so the bill as we have seen it now, as with all processes of the passage of legislation in this house , the bill that is introduced is not the one that is eventually passed into law.
“So, if you are telling us that that you support his bill as it is, that we should do our work, mindful of the people out there, then you are hampering us the free expression in the performance of our duties as members of Parliament.
“I will entreat you to rephrase that because it didn’t come across to us well. It is as if you are telling us to be mindful of what we are doing and that any changes might result in some attack or otherwise for us doing our works,” she said.
Discussion about this post